Method and means for controlling tension and tremolo effects



1,621,125 March 15 1927. B. E. MILLS METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING TENSION AND TREMOLO EFFECTS Filed March 5. 1926 Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

' 1P ATEN T FF ICE.

' IBEI-1EIECEL MILLS, OF OAK PARK, ELLINOIS, ASSIGNOB T MILLS NOVELTY COMPANY,

- OF (LEIGAGO, ILLII TOIS, A CORFORATION OF ILLINOIS.

METHOD ANID'IVIEANS FORGONTROLLING'TEES'ION ANB'TREMOLO EFFECTS.

Application fiIed'Mareh 3, 928. Serial No. eaooe.

This invention relates partieularlyto an improved method and means foreontrolling the, tension of strings in stringed instrunients of the viol el assin a music-playing 5 machine. H v V j p The invention is peculiarly advantageous in providing a method and means for securing,desiredtension the strings-of sueh musical, instrument while permitting the necessary freedom of action to produce a sensitively responsive tremolo effect, which {being a salient ohjeetofthe invention, the descriptionhereinafter cgntaine'd mainly relates thereto, ,The invention is not limited to the p56 vof a tremolo,however.

As known, electrically operated violin machines are nQiv on the market. The present invention is \vel ,adapted for use in con- ,nection with sneh, 1112113 11 tries, c for example and in that connection reference niay he had to United States Patent lo. l,l4;l,702, plat-er January ,9, 1923,, and No. 1,068,935, dated JulyQS, 1913. r I

The inventioncis illustrated in its preterrl-e1nhodin1ent in, the iaeeo npanying drawing, Which shows hrokenly the neckportion ot' a violin, the supporting neans therefor, tensioningineans, and means coopcratin nit tensioning neans for pro- ,ducing a, treinolo et'geet. v V I In,theiillust-ration given, A represents portion. ofthe [frame ,of ,a violin-playing machine; B, the neck-portion of a .violin mounted on said frame; C C, vibratory 'levers which serve as portionsot the tensioning n eans of the violinstrings 1; ,Cfi-a tensionspring shown to he connected with ,one ,ot'. the levers; and 1),1), pulsating devices connected with the levers and cooperating wit-h therlevers to produce the tremolo effect p H It will :he understood that whileonly two, itensioning. devices and tremolo devices are .shoxvn eaeh,string of. the instrnn ent is provided. with a parate v tensioning device and tremolo dev ce; .als,o, while only ;one tension-springis shown, it is to he tinderstood that each tension device ,is provided with ,a tension-spring, t p

. Descriptioirot the tension and the tremolo devices for onestring \vill-sufiiee; Thus, the lever C, for example, is pivoted on the frame .at 2 and is; equipped with a segmental guide 31in which the c strin. hears and,through vhieh the string niayls lip treely cTl eQlev-er iii) C is'also equipped with an adjusting device thy means of which thestring may be made ,tautin its connection with the lever.

i lie spring C 'preferahly is a long coilspring which may he made of .co1nparatively light .Wire. The lever G ordinarily s set in a horizontal position and held there by the spring vC which serves as a normal t-ensioning means.

' Ihe pulsating device D which serves to actuate the ,tensioning-lever 0 about the ,pivot 2 preferably coi'i' pris'es a cylinder 2' containing a piston 5 which is equipped .xvith aconnecting rod C". The connecting rod has its upper end pivotally'joined at 6 to the extremity of the lever C. i

The eoi'l-spring C preferably is disposed ,at an angle of preferably about to the .nornia l plane or the lever C, This spring isadju'sted to givefthe desired nornia'l'jten sion when the lever O in the horizontal position, it being understood that the string 1 is so connected with the, lever as to he under the proper norniar tension when the lever: C is inthe horizontal position. 7 One end of the spring C is shown connected with the pivot 6 by means ofa link '7. The other end is conneeted'xvith suitable'tensionadjusting ineans, shown as comprising a pivoted. lever 8 and an adjusting screw 9. These parts are mounted upon a suitahie bracket 10 attached to the frame A. i

p 7 is actuated in the cylinder nitpulsations admitted to the cylin- ,dei'. These air pulsations may he o t'any Qdesired frequencyand may serve to give any desiredamplitude of movement to the piston, Ordinarily, the cylinder. is supplied with air pulsations by means of a suit- .ahle I airv p uinp (not shown). The pulsations and amplitude of' nov-einent for the levers of the several strings ordinarily ,are di tierent. That is, ,the characterof the movement is su itedlto the string. For example,

a heavier string niay require a greater amplitude oft". HlOVGlllGl'lllllO produce the den t ir en o10 effect than doesla lighter string. i v

i The pistons 5" arenot intendethto serve primarily as eights in the present can structioii. Infact, they are niade as light as possible, iconsistent with suitable dimens iojns andstrength, the. purpose being to lred uce the inertia oi? the moving parts. The pistons deserve, in av neasure as weights,

but this is incidental, as it has been discovered that reatly improved efi ects can'be obtained by employing springs as the principal tensioning means.

In arranging the springs, it is desirable to adopt an arrangement which will produce no substantial variation in the pull Which the spring exerts upon the lever, regardless of the position of the lever. In the illustration given, the desired result is obtained by the relation of spring and lever illustrated. Thus, in the amplitude of movement of the lever C which is illustrated by the broken dotted lines, the pivotal point 6 may move upwardly from its normal position to the upper position designated 6 and may move downwardly to the lower position designated 6". This vibration may be produced by means of the air pulsations in the cylinder 5. If we assume the lever C to be at its lowermost shown position, the spring acts along a line between the point 6 and the point 11, that is the point where the other end of the spring is attached to the adjusting lever 8, and it is evident that the leverage is indicated by a line 12 drawn perpendicular to the line between the points 6 and 11 and extending to a parallel line which passes through the pivot point 2. In

like manner, when the lever G is in the middle (normal position) the effective arm is designated by a line 13 perpendicularto the axis of the spring in this position and extending from the point 6 to a line passing through the pivot point 2 and parallel with the axis of the spring in this middle position. In like manner, the effective leverarm is indicated by the line 14: when the lever G is in its uppermost position. It will be understood that the effective leverarm is the longest when the lever C is in the lowermost position, and is the shortest when the lever C is in the uppermost position, and has an intermediate length when the lever is in the nentralposition. On the other hand, the spring possesses the least tension when it is acting upon the longest effective arm, possesses the greatest tension when it is acting upon the smallest effective arm, and possesses an intermediate tension when it is acting upon the intermediate eiiective arm corresponding with the horizontal position of the lever C.

From the description given, it is evident that the lever-arm varies inversely with the tension of the spring, so that there is a compensating effect. Thisenables the efiective action of the tensioning means which includes the coil-spring to remain practically constant during the vibration of the lever, which vibrations produce the tremolo effect. Such an arrangement enables the pulsating apparatus to vibrate the tensioning-lever in a manner to secure the best tremolo effect, it being evident that a spring is free from the objection which attaches to the use of weights on the tensioning-lever. Owing to the inertia of weights, when attached to the tensioning-levers and employed as a part of or in association with pulsating means, it is diflicult to obtain the desired response to the pulsations; hence, it is desirable to make the reciprocating parts as light as practicable and to employ a spring as the main tensioning means. Experience has demonstrated that it is possible to maintain all desirable uniformity of tension and produce only those gradual variations which are necessary to attain the best tremolo effects. Thus, a new technical efiect is secured by employing a combination of the character illustrated in the drawing.

It is possible, of course, to vary the lever and spring arrangement, but it is highly desirable to employ such arrangement as will give a compensating effect by variation of the effective lever-arm inversely with respect to the spring tension.

If desired, the tremolo effect may be dispensed with. That is, the pulsating-means comprising the devices D, D may be omitted. The tensioning-levers and springs will, nevertheless, serve as the normal tensioning-means for the strings. The initial adjustment of the strings may be made at the point t, after which the levers and springs will automatically maintain the proper tension, regardless of stretching of the strings, which, in practice, is suflicient to cause a considerable variation in the position of the levers.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understod therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

l/Vhat I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 1. String-tensioningmeans for stringed instruments, comprising a tensioning-lever connected with an end portion of each string, a spring serving as the normal principal tensioning means for said lever, and means for producing vibrations of said lever.

2. String-tensioning means for stringed instruments, comprising a tensioning-lever connected with an end portion of each string, a spring serving as the normal principal tensioning means for said lever, means for adjusting said spring, and means for producing vibrations of said lever.

3. String-tensioning means for stringed instruments, comprising a tensioning-lever connected with an end-portion of a string and extending away from said string,.and a coil-spring connected with said lever and serving as the normal principal tensioning means for the lever, said lever and spring being so related that the elfective lever-arm will vary inversely with the tension of said sprin when the lever is vibrated.

4t. tring-tensioning means for stringed instruments, comprising a tensioning-lever connected with an end-portion of a string and extending away from said string, means for rapidly varying the position of said tensioning lever, and a coil-spring connected with said lever and serving as the normal principal tensioning means for the lever, said lever and spring being so related that the effective lever-arm will vary inversely with the tension of said spring when the lever is vibrated.

In a tremolo device for stringed instruments, a tensioning-lever connected with an end-portion of a string and extending away from said string, a pulsating device connected with said lever, and a coil-spring connected with said lever and serving as the normal principal tensioning means for the lever, said lever and spring being so related that the efiective lever-arm will vary inversely with the tension of said spring when the lever is vibrated.

(3. In a tremolo device for stringed instruments, a tensioning-lever connected with an end-portion of a string, and disposed in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the string and extending away from the string, means for rapidly vibrating said lever, and a coil-spring connected with said lever and serving as the principal normal tensioning means for the lever, said spring having its axis disposed at an angle to said lever.

7. In a tension device for stringed instruments of the Viol class, a tensioning-lever connected with an end-portion of a string of the instrument and projecting away from the string in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the string, a coil-spring connected with said lever near its remote end and normally tensioned to hold the lever substantially in the first-mentioned plane, and an adjustable spring-tensioning device disposed below the fulcrum of said lever and connected with said spring.

8. In a tremolo device for stringed instruments, a tensioning-lever connected with a string of the instrument and having a pivot near the point of attachment of the string, said lever projecting past the neck of the instrument, means for imparting vibrations to said lever, and a coil-spring serving as the principal normal tensioning means of the lever, said spring having one end connected with the lever at a point some distance in front of the neck of the instru ment and having the other end connected with a stationary member at a point below the neck of the instrument.

9. In a tension device for stringed instru ments, a. tensioning-lever connected at one end-portion with the end-portion of a string and pivotally supported near said point of connection, said lever occupying substantially a horizontal position when the string is under normal tension, and a coil-spring connected at one end with said lever at a distance from its pivot and connected at the other end with a stationary support disposed some distance below the pivot of the lever.

10. The method of producing a tremolo eiiect in a stringed instrument equipped with .a tensioning-lever, which comprises normally spring-tensioning said lever and then imparting rapid vibrations to said lever.

'BERTIE E. MILLS. 

